


Last One Out of New York City

by buoyantsaturn



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bisexual Will Solace, F/M, Jason Grace as the Voice of Reason, M/M, Piper McLean as the Ultimate Wingman, Will Solace as the Repressed Nerd, and introducing Nico di Angelo as himself, annabeth and magnus are mentioned for 0.4 seconds, best friends will and piper, its a 'last one out of beach city' au, piper likes setting people up on dates, will was kicked out by his last boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 06:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9371510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: Piper thinks Will needs to let loose a little, Will thinks Piper needs to leave him alone.





	1. Will Solace: Repressed Nerd

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write this au since I first saw the episode, and then I saw cindersart's version of it and i couldn't help myself

When Will’s ex-boyfriend kicked him out of their apartment, he didn’t know what he was going to do. He was pretty sure he didn’t have enough money to get even the cheapest hotel room the city had to offer, and he knew there was no chance of getting on a plane to get to his mother’s house in Tennessee. He hated putting the people he knew in awkward situations, and honestly probably would’ve frozen to death out on the streets if his best friend Piper hadn’t called him after a few hours of walking around.

Almost as soon as he answered the phone, he was sobbing and retelling the entire story of that morning - how he’d come home from a midnight shift at a nearby hospital where he worked as an intern, found a  _ woman _ in his bed next to his boyfriend (Will was bisexual and so was his boyfriend, so the shock could’ve been worse if he hadn’t known, but that didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt), and then his boyfriend had  _ yelled _ at him, as if he’d done something  _ wrong, _ and then threw him out! Will had dated nicer people before, and he’d honestly thought that he’d dated  _ worse _ people, too, but apparently he’d been proven wrong.

So Piper invited him to come live with her and her boyfriend for a while, told him that he could stay in their guest room until he’d saved up enough to get his own apartment. Will appreciated it, don’t get him wrong, but sometimes Piper could be a little pushy towards him, as she always had been. Especially since she started dating Jason, she’d wanted every one of her close friends to find “the one” as she had, and she’d laid off on Will for a little while when he moved in with his last boyfriend, but after a few weeks had passed of him living in her guest room, she’d started up again.

As soon as he first noticed the signs that Piper was about to start her constant harassing about his love life, he’d started looking for an apartment. Sadly, he wasn’t quick enough.

Piper held her phone about an inch away from Will’s nose, the screen displaying a picture of a blond guy that looked about Will’s age. “What do you think?”

Will leaned back, trying to get his eyes to uncross as he looked at the picture. “About what?”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Annabeth’s cousin? Weren’t you listening to me, Will?” She turned the screen to face herself, tapping her phone a few times before seeming to read something off of it. “He lives in Boston but he’s visiting the city and staying with Annabeth and Percy for a few weeks.” She looked back up at Will. “So?”

“So  _ what?” _ Will asked again.

“Do you want me to set up a date or no?” Piper said, like it should’ve been obvious.

Will sat down heavily on the couch. “Piper, I was just  _ forcibly removed _ from a year long relationship--”

“With the devil, yes, I recall.”

“--and I don’t know if I’m  _ ready _ to start dating somebody else. Especially someone I’ve never met, who doesn’t even live in this  _ state." _

“But that’s what’s great about it!” Piper exclaimed. “If it doesn’t work out, you’ll never have to see him again!”

“I don’t  _ want _ to,” Will moaned.

Piper dropped onto the couch next to him, and Will’s head fell onto her shoulder. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop,” Piper said, wrapping an arm around Will’s shoulders. There was a short moment of silence before she said, “There’s a John Mulaney special on Netflix, wanna watch it before you have to go to work?”

 

Of course, whenever Piper said she would stop, she really only meant for that day, or maybe a week if Will - or any other victim - was lucky. Unfortunately for Will, this time only lasted about two days, before she was back to trying to set him up with somebody new. (Piper loved it when she got to set up her bi friends, since there were practically  _ double _ the options. And, being bi herself, she already knew which people to absolutely  _ not _ set Will up with - she’d met, and even _ dated _ , her fair share of biphobes, and didn’t want to force any of her friends into a similar situation.)

Will turned down every set up Piper offered, which clearly meant that Piper needed to step up her game. Will, however, had been on high guard  _ constantly _ at that point.

“Hey, Will,” Piper said when she walked into the living room.

Will looked up from a file in his hands cautiously. “What?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Piper said, crossing her arms. “I’m just trying to be nice.”

“Nice like trying to set me up again, or _ actually _ nice?”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Jason and I are going to a house party out on Long Island on Friday. Do you wanna come with us?”

Will sank down into the couch slightly. “I dunno, Piper, I--”

“C’mon, Will, you haven’t left the apartment except to go to work since you moved in,” Piper said. “Let loose a little, let’s do something  _ fun _ for once!”

“I’m not really a  _ let loose _ kinda guy, Piper.”

She stepped forward, dropping onto the couch next to him.  _ "Please, _  Will?”

Will made a face like he was going to argue, but instead let out a sigh and nodded his head.

 

Will began regretting his decision almost as soon as Jason came home on Friday night. Piper’s level of excitement had multiplied, and she’d gone so far as to pick out Will’s clothes for him.

“You said it yourself, Will, you don’t know how to have fun,” Piper started.

“That’s not what I said.”

“And you’d probably go dressed like that if nobody told you otherwise.”

“What’s wrong with these clothes?”

Piper looked at him, like  _ You’ve gotta be kidding me, _  before she turned toward the door. “Change quickly, we have to leave in twenty minutes!”

Thankfully, all of the clothes Piper had picked out were Will’s - it would have been a little embarrassing to wear Jason’s clothes while he was out with them - and he hurried to change out of his old jeans and ratty t-shirt into the dark wash skinny jeans, v-neck shirt, and flannel that Piper had laid out on his bed. He shot a quick look in the mirror in the bathroom as he walked by, giving himself a once-over. He had to admit, while he never would have picked the outfit for himself, Piper did have a really nice sense of fashion.

When he brought himself out into the living room, Piper whistled. “Wow, Will, who knew you could clean up so well?”

Will grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at Piper’s face. “Shut up,” he said. “Why do I have to look nice, anyway? It’s not like I’ll know anybody there besides you guys.”

“Exactly! Gotta make a nice first impression,” she told him with a wink.

“Unnecessary.”

_ "Absolutely _ necessary,” Piper corrected, pushing Will to sit down on the couch. She sat down across from him on the coffee table. “Just one last thing,” she said, grabbing at a bag sitting nearby and pulling out a black pencil.

“Oh, no,” Will said, leaning back out of her reach. “No makeup.”

“Yes, makeup,” Piper said. “William Solace, I am letting you stay in the guest room, free of charge. You will survive a little bit of eyeliner for a few hours.”

Will pouted, allowing Piper to pull him forward. “Why are we friends?”

“Us gays gotta stick together, hun,” Piper told him. “Also you’re too nice to actually tell me to go away, so now you’re stuck with me. Close your eyes.”

 

Will insisted that, while he would at least  _ try _ to let go that night, he would also  _ return home, _ and would therefore be driving them out of the city (in Piper’s car. His was actually a bit of a death trap, and probably  _ would _ actually kill them for that long of a drive). Piper sat shotgun and fought with Will for control of the radio - Will’s argument was  _ driver picks the music, _ but Piper’s was  _ who’s name is on the lease? _ \- while Jason sat quietly in the back.

It was Jason’s idea to stop for snacks along the way, since none of them were sure if there would be any food at the party, and, depending on how late they were out, they might be pretty hungry on the ride home.

So they stopped at a gas station after the crossed the bridge out of Manhattan. They split up, Piper making a beeline for the candy isle, Jason heading toward the coolers to grab some water bottles, and Will grabbed a few bags of trail mix and a couple other healthy(ish) snacks.

They met up near the front of the store, Piper seeming unable to decide between one sugary energy drink and another, when the bell over the door chimed. Will’s head turned, feeling drawn to the new sound filling the room, and his heart stopped. He could vaguely hear Piper’s voice as she continued to weigh the pros and cons of each drink, and Will was aware that there might be a chance that his mouth was now hanging open, but at the same time, he felt like his entire world had stopped.

Jason’s hand landed heavily on Will’s shoulder. “Are you okay, man?”

Will jumped at the contact, jaw clicking shut. He looked over, eyes wide, just in time to see Jason and Piper exchange a look that he couldn’t read.

“Everything alright?” Jason tried again, raising an eyebrow in concern.

“Fine!” Will said, probably too loud and a bit too quickly. “I’m fine. We should get going, right?”

“What’s the rush, Will?” Piper asked, setting one of her two drinks back inside the cooler, smirking up at her best friend. She looked across the store, eyes locking on the man that had just entered the building. “Something to do with  _ him?” _

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Will tried, but his voice was shaking.

“Why don’t you go talk to him?” Jason suggested casually.

“That’s a  _ great _ idea, Jason!” Piper cried, pulling the snacks out of Will’s arms and turning her friend in the direction of the coffee machine, where the man was now standing. “Think of this like a practice run, Will. It’ll make it easier to talk to people at the party tonight.”

Will whipped around, glaring down at Piper. “Wait, does that mean this was some kind of setup? Or, not-setup? You only brought me out here to flirt with people!”

“We brought you out here to let loose a little,” Piper told him, placing her hands on his shoulders and turning him back around. “Let  _ loose." _  She shoved him toward the coffee machine.

Will stumbled slightly before continuing toward the man - shorter than Will, but not too much so, with messy dark hair - and made to look like he, too, was getting a cup of coffee. He stood beside the man at the counter, glancing out of the corner of his eye to get a look at the man’s face. Pale skin, a light dusting of freckles, dark eyes lined with long lashes, soft-looking lips set in a slight pout, and a silver ring glinting off his lower lip.

Will reached for the stack of styrofoam cups, accidentally knocking all of the cups onto the floor when his hand slipped. He dropped down, quickly scooping all the cups into his arms and rising up in time to see the man quirk an eyebrow in his direction.

“Hi,” Will said, voice more of a squeak and smile more of a wince.

The man grabbed a stir stick for his coffee before taking the drink and walking away.

Will deflated, taking a second to make sure none of the cups would roll off the counter, before he turned back to his friends.

Jason patted him on the shoulder. “It could’ve been worse.”

“Not really,” Will muttered.

“Let’s go pay for this stuff, then we can get out of here,” Piper said, heading toward the register. “There’ll be plenty more times for you to embarrass yourself later, Will.”

“Thanks.”

 

They were on the road for about twenty minutes, Jason having finally gotten sick of the ever-changing radio stations and plugging his phone into the aux to play something  _ he _ liked, when the sound of a motorcycle engine revved behind their car.

Will looked into the rear-view mirror, though he saw nothing. Instead, he heard the sound moving, coming around the side of the car. He glanced over, careful not to take his eyes off the road in front of him for more than a few seconds, and saw the man from the gas station store driving alongside them.

“That idiot isn’t wearing a helmet!” Will shouted. “He could be killed because of something so stupid!”

“Maybe you should tell him that,” Piper joked.

“Maybe I  _ will,” _ Will responded, rolling down the window and shouting, “Not wearing a helmet is dangerous!”

The man didn’t even look over, simple held up his middle finger in Will’s direction.

Will gasped, and he could hear Piper laughing beside him. “You could die if you get in an accident,” Will tried again, and this time, the man looked over. His eyes widened, like he recognized Will from the store, before he was smirking at him, shooting Will a thumbs-up before speeding up.

Piper was practically cackling in the passenger’s seat, and Will was staring dumbfoundedly out the window.

Jason leaned forward between their seats. “Watch the road, Will,” he said, and while his voice wasn’t urgent (there wasn’t anyone else on the road), Will flinched and swerved the car back into the right lane. “And you’re thirty over the speed limit, too, by the way,” Jason continued, and Will slammed on the brakes.

 

The house party was located at this four-story ranch house surrounded by strawberry fields, and as soon as Jason, Piper, and Will hiked over a large hill and approached the house, Will almost immediately noticed a familiar man standing on the porch.

Will stopped in this tracks, Jason and Piper continuing on for a few steps before they realized Will wasn’t following. 

“Will, are you okay?” Jason asked.

“That guy’s here,” Will said. “The guy from the gas station, with the motorcycle.”

Piper followed his gaze. “Yeah, I guess he is. What a coincidence.”

“I’m gonna talk to him,” Will said, taking a few steps closer before Piper and Jason each grabbed one of his arms and held him back.

“Are you sure, Will?” Jason asked.

“You don’t think you’ve embarrassed yourself enough for one night?” Piper said.

Will frowned. “Honestly, Piper, what’s your deal? First you can’t stop setting me up with people, and now you don’t even want me to try and find somebody on my own?” He yanked his arm out of Piper’s grip. “You keep telling me to let loose, so  _ let me.” _

Jason released Will’s other arm, patting him on the back. “Good for you, man,” he said with a grin. “Go get him.”

Jason pushed Will gently in the direction of the house, watching to make sure that Will kept his word. He slung an arm around Piper’s shoulders when he saw Will get the man’s attention.

“What an idiot, honestly,” Jason said.

“I can’t believe he didn’t realize that this was a setup, too,” Piper agreed, watching as her friend Nico grinned up at Will, taking Will’s arm in his hand and scribbling something on Will’s wrist. “What’d you have to do to convince Nico to come here?”

“Practically nothing,” Jason answered with a shrug. “I showed him a picture of Will and he glared at me for a minute and then he said, ‘text me when,’ and the conversation was over.”

“Never did I think that Nico di Angelo would be easier to deal with than my own best friend,” Piper muttered.

Will said something final to Nico before turning away and heading back to where Jason and Piper were still standing.

“Somebody looks happy,” Piper commented when Will was within a few feet of them.

Will smiled down at his feet. “He gave me his phone number.”

Piper had to hold herself back from saying,  _ I could’ve given it to you when I offered to set you up two weeks ago. _

“Congrats, man,” Jason said. “Sticking with him, or are you gonna try talking to anyone else?”

Will looked down at the numbers written on his skin. “I think I might stick with him.” He looked over his shoulder, where Nico was focused on his phone, leaning on the rail of the porch. 

“And speaking of, you’d better get back over there before somebody snatches him away,” Piper suggested. 

Will grinned, waving to his friends before hurrying back toward the house.

“What an idiot.”

 

Jason was in the middle of making a cup of coffee the next morning, when someone shuffled into the kitchen. Jason pulled an extra mug out of the cabinet before even turning around to see who it was.

He poured the coffee when it was finished, turning around and handing the mug to Nico, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

“I wasn’t expecting you to still be here,” Jason said, sitting down across from him.

“What do you take me for?” Nico grumbled, taking a sip of his coffee. “This was a setup, not a hookup, right? I wasn't just gonna leave in the middle of the night.”

Jason smirked. “So you actually like him, then?”

Nico glared, opening his mouth to insult Jason, when his eyes caught on something bright entering the room.

Will walked over to Nico, pressing a kiss to his cheek and whispering, “Good morning.”

Nico turned his head, watching as Will poured himself his own cup of coffee.

“First of all,” Jason said, startling Will who hadn’t realized he was there, “gross, and second of all, is that a hickey on your neck, Nico?”

This time, it was Nico’s turn to smirk. “What, you think I came all the way over here just to sleep?”

“Again,  _ gross. _ Also,” Jason turned toward Will, whose face was blossoming red, “Will, I’m expecting the sheets on your bed washed at least six times before you move out.”

Will choked on his coffee. “All we did was kissing and sleeping!”

Nico turned back to Jason and winked.

Jason rose from his seat, taking his coffee and walking out of the room with a final, “Gross.”


	2. Introducing Nico di Angelo as Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper's tried setting Nico up in the past, what could possibly be different about this time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is everything from Nico's point of view!!! (not that anybody asked) its slightly shorter than the previous chapter, but at the same time it's got a little bit more ;)))

Nico met Jason for coffee sometimes, whenever their schedules worked out that they each had a free hour or so at the same time. They would sit in some coffee shop, the same one every time though Nico never bothered to learn the name of it, and sometimes Jason would catch Nico up on everything that had happened since their last get together, while sometimes Nico would complain about his roommate, Leo, who Jason had convinced Nico to let stay with him. 

The most recent time, Jason sat down at their usual table and immediately shoved his phone under Nico’s nose, the screen displaying an attractive blond man.

Nico looked at the picture for a few seconds before his eyes flickered up to Jason’s. “Why?”

“What do you think?” Jason asked, shaking his phone slightly.

“What do I think about what?” Nico said. “Are you leaving Piper for this guy or something?”

Jason rolled his eyes and brought his phone back to himself. “ _ No,” _ he started, “Piper’s been trying to set him up with somebody since his ex-boyfriend kicked him out. She asked me to ask you if you were interested.”

Nico scrunched up his nose. “You mean she hasn’t stopped trying to fix  _ me _ up, either? Don’t you think she would’ve learned after the last few times that didn’t work out?”

“Do you want Piper to set up a date, or not?” Jason asked plainly.

Nico hesitated. “Can I see the picture again?” he asked quietly, like he didn’t want Jason to hear, head ducking and eyes locking on the coffee in his hands.

Jason held his phone out once more. Nico’s eyes glanced over the image for not longer than ten seconds before he narrowed his eyes at Jason and said, “Text me when.”

 

Nico received a text later that day that said,  _ House party. Friday at 8pm, 3.141 Farm Road, Long Island, _ which Nico assumed to mean that that was where he’d be meeting his setup date. He wondered, not for the first time, if maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to do this. People he set his own dates up with could never stick around for long, what did he expect to be different when somebody else set it up instead? Especially since people who had their friends set them up were already at the hopeless stage (did he just call himself hopeless? Whatever, he probably was).

After Piper’s first few setups, Nico had been expecting a text from her telling him what to wear that immediately followed the time-and-place text, or at least a facetime so that Piper could micromanage everything like she usually did. However, this time he didn’t receive any messages until he was already dressed on Friday, and about to leave his apartment.

He groaned when he read the text, immediately catching the attention of his roommate, who was enjoying an unrushed dinner and a terrible movie marathon on the TV -  _ Sharknado, _ it looked like at the moment. As Nico dropped his jacket over the back of the couch, turning and practically stomping as he headed back toward his room, Leo called after him, “What’s the problem,  _ hombre?” _

“Piper set me up again,” he said, loud enough that his voice carried across the apartment. “She just sent me the  _ ‘This is how normal people dress’ _ text.”

Leo laughed. “Perks of being ace, man, don’t gotta worry about Piper’s crazy setups.”

Nico came out of his room, wearing a different pair of jeans and no shirt, just to shoot Leo a Look. “She set you up with Calypso.”

Leo sighed, tipping his head back against the back of the couch, a dopey smile on his face, eyes unfocused toward the ceiling. “Yeah.”

Nico scrunched up his nose and returned to his room to finish getting dressed. He reemerged a few minutes later, moving to stand in front of Leo with a frown. “If this is how normal people dress, how does anyone on the planet still have decent circulation to their limbs?”

Leo grinned. “You’re the one who bought the tight clothes, Piper just put them all together.”

“They weren’t this tight when I bought them.” Nico winced as his black skinny jeans pinched at his thigh. “Do you think she’ll notice if I wear something other than what she said?”

“Piper knows a person’s closet better than they know it, bro,” Leo reminded him. “Clothing closet and emotional closet. I’m surprised she didn’t find you in yours. But anyway, yeah, I think she’ll notice.”

Nico frowned at his roommate, then turned away with a whispered, “Damn.” He pulled on his leather jacket, grabbing his keys before reaching for the door.

“Aren’t you gonna wear a helmet?” Leo called.

“Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll die, and Piper won’t get to set me up ever again,” Nico responded before pulling the door shut behind him.

He got another text as he was walking into the parking garage attached to his apartment building:  _ We’re stopping for snacks outside the city. See you there! _

Nico wasn’t sure if Piper meant that she’d see him at the party, or if he was somehow supposed to just  _ know _ which store they would stop at outside Manhattan. He got on his bike, figuring he could try his luck and stop at the first gas station he saw across the bridge. Besides, he could use some coffee anyway.

 

When Nico pulled up to the gas station, there was only one other car, parked at one of the pumps, though Nico didn’t see anyone nearby. He filled up the tank on his bike before heading inside, heading straight for the coffee machine. He could vaguely hear a conversation across the store, though he stayed focused on pouring a generous amount of sugar into his drink. As he started pouring a little bit of creamer into his coffee, he felt somebody approaching, standing beside Nico and reaching for the stack of empty styrofoam cups. 

Nico barely glanced over before the entire stack of cups was knocked over onto the floor. He stifled a laugh, trying to keep his expression blank as the man beside him struggled to gather all of the cups into his arms and place them back on the counter. 

The man met Nico’s eyes, and Nico felt a spark travel up his spine. He was blond and tan with freckles  _ everywhere _ and the bluest eyes Nico had ever seen -  _ so  _ much prettier in person. Freckles - and it was then that Nico realized that Jason never gave him a name to go with the face - tried for a smile that looked a little more like a wince, and squeaked out, “Hi.”

Nico raised an eyebrow, lifting his coffee up to his lips and taking a sip of the steaming liquid. Nico, unsure of what to say - if there was anything  _ to say _ in whatever situation this was that they were in - took a step backwards before spinning on his heel and walking out the door.

He tried not to let the burning liquid bother him as he tried to choke the coffee down - it wasn’t like his motorcycle had cupholders. He leaned against his bike where it was still parked at one of the pumps, and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

 

_ [To: Jason _

_ you didnt tell me he was pretty] _

 

_ [From: Jason _

_ I showed you a picture???] _

 

_ [To: Jason _

_ it didnt do him justice] _

 

Nico hopped on his bike, tossing his almost-empty coffee cup into the trash next to the pump before he sped off, not waiting to see Jason’s response. He was on the road for maybe ten minutes before he realized that he had to pee. Thankfully, he spotted a rest stop at the next exit, and pulled off the road.

By the time he was driving again, the roads were just about cleared out, and Nico was happy to take advantage of the empty street. He sped up, enjoying the feeling of wind whipping through his hair - he barely ever had the chance to experience such a feeling, as he was either always in the city or wearing a helmet. He spotted a pair of taillights ahead of him and he leaned forward to hide his face behind the visor as he sped up again in preparation of passing.

He revved his engine before leading his bike into the left lane, pulling up alongside the grey Prius he’d seen parked at the gas station. He had just started inching ahead when he heard a shout of, “Not wearing a helmet is dangerous!”

Nico rolled his eyes - like he hadn’t heard that enough before. He prepared to speed up once more, holding his middle finger out to the car, when he heard, “You could die if you get in an accident!”

Nico took a second to look over, catching Piper’s eye from the passenger’s seat before locking his gaze on the driver - the blond from the gas station. Freckles.

Nico smirked, shooting a thumbs-up toward the Prius. He made the last-second decision to wink at Freckles before finally speeding up and driving away.

 

When Nico got to the party, he realized that maybe he shouldn’t have driven so far ahead of everyone else, because he spent at least ten minutes standing on the porch of the giant house, scrolling through his phone and occasionally texting Jason. 

He hadn’t gotten a text from him in about five minutes when he noticed somebody walking up the steps to the porch and coming to a stop a few feet away from Nico.

“Hi,” Freckles said, hands stuffed awkwardly in the pockets of his jeans, “again.”

Nico tucked his phone away, turning to face freckles fully. “Hi.”

“You know,” Freckles started, rocking back and forth from heel to toe, “driving a motorcycle without wearing a helmet is  _ incredibly _ dangerous, and I wasn’t kidding when I said that you could die if you get in an accident.”

Nico leaned back against the porch railing, scrunching up his nose. “Are you always like this?”

“I’m a surgical intern in the city,” Freckles responded, a bright smile gracing his features. “It’s an occupational hazard.”

Nico could feel the corners of his mouth quirking up. “Any other occupational hazards I should be aware of?”

“I can think of a few,” Freckles answered.

Nico reached into his pocket, pulling out a black sharpie, and held out his other hand. “Maybe you should tell me some time.” He took Freckles’s wrist in his hand, pushing back the sleeve of his flannel and uncapping his sharpie with his teeth. He scribbled his phone number onto Freckles’s warm skin, letting his fingers linger before pulling himself back.

“I’d love to,” Freckles said, seeming unable to take his eyes away from Nico’s. He had this stupid smile on his face that Nico couldn’t help but find appealing, and suddenly, Freckles flinched back. “Sorry, I, uh, I kinda ditched my friends as soon as I saw you. I should probably talk to them for a minute, tell them I didn’t mean to ditch them, you know?” Freckles took a step backwards, moving slowly like he didn’t want to look away from Nico for more than a second. “I’ll be right back. Don’t...go anywhere, okay?”

It took Nico a second to realize that Freckles was waiting for some kind of response, so he nodded his head. Freckles’s smile brightened before he turned around and walked over to where Jason and Piper were standing, talking to each other. Nico raised a hand in their direction in greeting, Jason nodding his head back once, before he focused his attention on Freckles.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, leaning his forearms against the porch railing. His phone buzzed in his hands, a new text from Jason that said,  _ he likes you,  _ and when Nico looked up to glare at Jason across the yard, he saw Freckles returning, smiling down at his feet as he walked.

Nico typed, quickly,  _ I like him, too. _

 

Nico learned that his name was Will. Will got flustered whenever Nico bit his lip, especially when he pulled his lip ring between his teeth, and Nico wondered if Will would like to do the same. 

At one point, Nico shed his jacket and draped it over the railing, revealing the plain, tight-fitting black tank top he wore underneath. Nico grabbed Will’s hand, pulling him off the porch and leading him around the back of the house where music was blaring from a live band that Nico had never heard of. 

“How do you feel about dancing?” Nico asked, pulling on the front of Will’s flannel, dragging him down so that Nico could speak close to his ear.

He heard a single, “Um,” from Will before he was pulling the blond into the crowd. He coaxed Will’s hands to rest at his hips, bringing his own hands up to Will’s shoulders. Nico allowed himself to feel the beat of the music, feeling so incredibly out of place in the crowd, but keeping his eyes locked on Will’s and finding that he felt none of the awkwardness that he usually would. 

Will seemed to freeze momentarily, eyes widening like he’d just realized something  _ miraculous, _ before he leaned down quickly to press a single kiss to Nico’s lips. He pulled back immediately, spine straightening and hands flying away from Nico’s waist. “Sorry! Sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” Will said hurriedly, voice barely heard over the music around them.

Nico slid his arms down from Will’s shoulders, smoothing down until Nico’s hands covered Will’s, and he replaced Will’s palms to their spot on Nico’s hips. “It’s fine, Will.”

 

By the time the party had started to wind down, Will and Nico had been practically inseparable, and neither of them had seen Jason or Piper since they arrived. Will’s flannel was tied around Nico’s waist, and the two of them were wandering around in search of Nico’s jacket.

As the two of them walked the length of the wraparound porch, Will’s eyes scanned the faces of the few remaining people.

“You haven’t seen my friends around, have you?” Will asked, spinning around almost completely, as if one of them might be hiding behind his back.

Nico turned toward him, raising an eyebrow up at him. “We’re looking for my jacket right now, Will. I’m sure your friends are fine.”

“But they were my ride,” Will said with a pout.

“I also drove here,” Nico reminded him. “I’m sure your place isn’t too far out of my way.”

Will’s eyes widened. “I’m  _ not _ riding on a motorcycle without a helmet.”

Nico shrugged. “We’ll see if you still feel that way when you find out that your options are that or walking.”

Nico turned and began walking around again.

“I hope you never find your jacket,” Will said with a huff.

“My keys are in my jacket, Solace,” Nico reminded him. “Can’t fit anything in my pockets with jeans this tight.”

Will cracked a smile. “ _ That, _ I don’t mind.”

Nico rolled his eyes, but then jumped when he noticed something familiar lying in the bushes in front of the porch. “There! I found it!” He hopped down the steps, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on, reaching a hand into his pocket and taking out his keys. He moved to turn toward Will when he felt a pair of arms wind around his waist.

“Looks like you won’t need  _ this _ anymore,” Will said against the side of Nico’s neck as his fingers untied the knot in the sleeves of his flannel around Nico’s hips.

Nico turned as Will pulled the flannel over his arms. “Ready to go, then?”

“Promise not to kill me?”

Nico rose up on his toes. “We’ll see.”

 

For almost the entire ride back into the city, Will’s arms were wrapped tight around Nico’s stomach, face hidden in the shoulder of Nico’s jacket so he didn’t have to watch as Nico weaved between cars.

When they stopped outside Piper’s apartment building, Will barely loosened his grip. “I could give you the code for the parking garage and you could come inside, if you want,” Will offered, chin resting on Nico’s shoulder, the tip of his nose rubbing against Nico’s cheek.

Nico grinned, revving the engine of his bike before speeding around to the entrance of the parking garage.

They were as quiet as possible as they made their way up to the apartment, though as soon as they reached the door, Will started patting his pockets and realized that he didn’t have a key.

“The only key I had was with Piper’s car keys!” Will explained. 

“And you didn’t think to mention that before we got all the way up here?” Nico asked with a laugh. 

“I forgot!”

Nico leaned forward, knocking his forehead into Will’s collarbone. “Maybe it’s unlocked?”

Will cupped Nico’s cheek in his hand, pushing at his jaw until Nico looked up at him. “I sure hope so, because you look far too tired to drive home right now.”

Nico scrunched up his nose. “I’m fine.”

Will grinned. “You look really cute when you do that.” He swooped down and pressed a kiss to the wrinkles covering the bridge of Nico’s nose.

Nico reached over, twisting the doorknob in his hand and pushing the door open. “After you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!!


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